Greg Smith sat down with Terence Crawford ahead of his title defense on Saturday June 28th at the Century Link Center in Omaha, NE against Yuriorkis Gamboa. The fight will be aired live on HBO and is being put on by Top Rank.
On what it means to bring the first title fight to his hometown of Omaha since 1972:
Well it means a lot, I felt like this is bigger than anything that has ever happened here, besides the CWS, soccer, and Creighton basketball. There has never been a champion defending his title from Omaha doing his first defense all around. It’s history all around.
On what the experience of winning the title in Scotland vs Ricky Burns did for his confidence:
It helped my confidence a lot. I was always a confident fighter but going over and getting the job taken care of shows that I can fight through anything.
On life after becoming the lightweight champion:
Everything is the same. I still go about my day doing the same routine. Nothing has really changed but people have noticed me more.
On the criticism that he is undefeated because he hasn’t fought very good competition:
i never heard that comment, I just look at it like I’m working hard to accomplish what I’m trying to accomplish. If someone thinks I’m not fighting anybody, I don’t pick the fights. I just fight them.
On the problems that Gamboa presents in this fight:
I can’t answer that question because I don’t know.
On his biggest strengths going into the fight:
Me being me. Just going out there and being Terence Crawford.
We would like to thank Terence for taking the time for the interview. Make sure to check out his title defense Saturday night vs Yuriorkos Gamboa live on HBO, June 28, 2014 at 9:00 pm. The fight will be at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. Tickets are available here.